( figured this was worthy of its own topic , instead of posting it to the leadership forum , Maxime Bernier has released some detailed ideas and thoughs on what he would do to the cbc , are any of these idea's realistic ? what is the future of the CBC ? )

Maxime Bernier: I will stop the CBC competing with private media, and the CBC will be better for it

Maxime Bernier, Special to Financial Post | November 23, 2016 3:02 PM ET
More from Special to Financial Post

The following is adapted from an announcement Wednesday by federal Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier

When it was created 80 years ago, CBC/Radio-Canada was meant to give a voice to Canadians in the new world of radio broadcasting. It did the same later when television became a mass media.

At the time, there were only a few private channels. There was an obvious role for a public broadcaster trying to reach all Canadians in big cities or small and remote communities; to connect them to the rest of the country and the world; and to bring them together through a shared expression of ideas and culture. It worked very well for several decades and had a profound influence on how we see ourselves and the world.

Fast forward to 2016. The media landscape, with its hundreds of channels and its millions of sources of information and culture, is radically different. Yet, CBC/Radio-Canada seems frozen in time. It tries to occupy every niche, even though it doesn’t have and will never have the means to do so, with the result being lower-quality programming. The viewership for its English service in particular has reached new lows. To stay relevant, it reinterprets its mandate every few years, going from crisis to crisis.

What should be done? If I am elected leader of my party and prime minister, I propose to implement two fundamental reforms. First, the role and mandate of CBC/Radio-Canada have to be refocused. Do we need a public broadcaster that does game shows and cooking shows? Do we need a public broadcaster involved in sports when we have all-sports channels? Do we need a public broadcaster that runs bad Canadian copies of American popular shows? Do we need a public broadcaster that offers music streaming on the Web when there are thousands of music channels available? Do we need a public broadcaster that now has a website devoted to opinion journalism that competes with newspapers and magazines? The answer to all these questions is clearly no.

The CBC should stop doing three quarters of what it still does, which any private broadcaster can do, and concentrate on what only it can do
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I believe there is still a role in our media landscape for a public radio and television network. But it has to be something other than what the private sector already offers. We should not reinvent the wheel. Already, the mandate of CBC/Radio-Canada states that it should be predominantly and distinctively Canadian and contribute to our national consciousness and identity; it should reflect Canada and its regions to national and regional audiences, while serving the special needs of those regions; it should actively contribute to the flow and exchange of cultural expression; and it should reflect the needs and circumstances of our language communities, and also the multicultural and multiracial nature of Canada.

CBC/Radio-Canada has the widest network of journalists and correspondents across the country. That’s one of its unique qualities. Yet, over the past couple of years, when it had to adjust to a smaller budget, it cut back on its regional stations and concentrated more resources in the big towers in Toronto and Montreal instead. It should have done the opposite. Canadians don’t want to see their world only through the eyes of Toronto or Montreal.

A more focused CBC/Radio-Canada should offer more quality public affairs programs, and not all based in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. When was the last time you saw a panel of guests on national TV debating the issues of the day in New Brunswick, Saskatchewan or the North? It should show us what is going on in the neighbourhoods of our big cities, but also in our small towns and rural areas, in our remote and aboriginal communities. It should explain the outside world to us with more foreign correspondents. It should team up with the fantastic cultural institutions, theatres, orchestras, festivals, that exists in every parts of our country, and show what they do to the rest of Canada. It should make us think, with more quality documentaries, more programs about science, history, or religion. Canadians are notoriously ignorant of their own history. Shouldn’t it be the role of a public broadcaster to show it in interesting ways?

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In short, CBC/Radio-Canada should stop doing three quarters of what it still does, which any private broadcaster can do, and concentrate on what only it can do. To achieve this, my government will make changes to the Broadcasting Act to clarify and refocus the CBC/Radio-Canada mandate.

The second reform that I propose to implement is to get the CBC/Radio-Canada out of the advertising market. All private media outlets have had to make deep cuts and to lay off journalists by the hundreds in the past few years. Yet, after getting a head start with more than a billion dollars in taxpayers’ money, CBC/Radio-Canada unfairly competes with struggling private media in a shrinking advertisement market. To replace its revenues from advertisement, which amounted to about $250 million last year, the CBC/Radio-Canada will have to switch to the PBS/NPR model in the US and rely on sponsorships from corporations and foundations, as well as voluntary donations from its viewers and listeners. Of course, changes to the structure of CBC/Radio-Canada will also require changes to the Broadcasting Act.

There are several advantages to this. It will end the unfair competition with other media. It will ensure more quality programming by eliminating the need to constantly get higher ratings to sell advertising space. Instead of competing with private networks for a mass audience, CBC/Radio-Canada will be more responsive to the viewers willing to contribute to its unique programming. As for it its public subsidy, a Conservative government under my leadership will rescind the $150 million in additional annual funding announced by the current government. That will bring back public funding to $1 billion, as it was last year. My government will also review the remaining funding in light of the more focused mandate and structure I just discussed, and of the state of public finances after several years of runaway spending and deficits by the Trudeau government. I cannot give any arbitrary number today, but I assume that the taxpayers’ contribution will be lower than $1 billion.

My campaign is based on the principles of freedom, responsibility, fairness and respect. With my proposal, CBC/Radio-Canada will stop competing unfairly with private media, and will be more respectful of the taxpayers that help fund it. It will also become a more relevant public institution, helping to reinforce our culture and our national identity.

Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier, who joined other candidates at a leadership debate in Saskatoon earlier this month, has outlined his proposal for the CBC.

Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier announced his policy proposals for the CBC today, laying out his plans to streamline the public broadcaster to put more focus on local and public affairs programming, to make the CBC advertising-free and to transition it toward a funding model similar to that of PBS and NPR in the United States.

Bernier announced his plan at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa.

The Quebec MP, who has proposed a series of libertarian-style policies in his bid for the Conservative leadership, argued the CBC should be offering programming that the private sector is not able or willing to do. This means a focus on local programming and news coverage, as well as more foreign correspondents, documentaries and programs on scientific, historic and religious topics.

Bernier said the CBC should focus on local coverage, rather than concentrating resources in larger centres such as Toronto and Montreal, suggesting that regional perspectives, Canada's diversity and cultural events should be at the forefront.

"CBC/Radio-Canada should stop doing three-quarters of what it still does, which any private broadcaster can do, and concentrate on what only it can do," Bernier said in a press release.

The leadership candidate also proposed that the CBC get out of the advertising market entirely, be it on television, radio or the internet. He suggested that to replace lost advertising revenues, the CBC could move to a fundraising model like that of PBS, raising funds through donations from the public and corporate sponsorships.

According to Bernier, this would have the benefit of ending the CBC's competition with private broadcasters and other media.

Call to cut funding

In addition, Bernier said he would reverse the increase to the CBC's budget brought in by the Liberals in the spring, including $75 million this year and $150 million in increased funding in each of the next four years. A Conservative government under Bernier would then re-evaluate the CBC's budgetary needs under its new mandate, saying that he "cannot give any arbitrary number today, but I assume that the taxpayers' contribution will be lower than $1 billion."

In remarks to MPs on the Canadian heritage committee last May, Jennifer McGuire, general manager and editor in chief of CBC News, and Michel Cormier, general manager of news and current affairs for CBC's French services, said local coverage was central to the corporation's long-term plan, known as Strategy 2020, and at the forefront of the CBC's shift to digital technologies to deliver more local content on all platforms at lower cost.

Bernier was not the only Conservative leadership candidate talking about plans for the CBC on Wednesday. Saskatchewan MP Brad Trost tweeted a short video asking his fellow Conservatives to join him in supporting the privatization of the CBC, as well as a link to his private member's bill on the issue.

In a fundraising email to supporters Wednesday, Trost attacked Bernier's plan as "CBC lite," saying "rank-and-file members of our party want our government to get out of the media business altogether."

Tory leadership candidate rules out privatization but says public broadcaster’s mandate need to be ‘refocused’

Beatrice Britneff

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2016

Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier announced Tuesday that as prime minister, he would revamp the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s mandate and kick the public broadcaster out of the advertising market.

To replace lost revenues from advertising, Bernier said he would restructure the CBC’s funding model to mirror that of PBS and NPR in the United States and have the broadcaster rely on sponsorships from corporations and foundations, as well as donations from viewers and listeners.

Bernier said the CBC would be prohibited from running ads on all its platforms – radio, television and web — and this reform would level the playing field between the CBC and private media outlets.

Bernier argued that this move would “ensure more quality programming” by eliminating the pressure to keep ratings up to sell ad space.

The Tory leadership candidate said he also would reverse the $150 million in additional annual funding the federal government recently gave the CBC — bringing the broadcaster’s funding back to $1 billion per year. Bernier added that he would review that funding after assessing the state of government coffers following the Trudeau government and the CBC’s refocused mandate.

On the subject of the broadcaster’s role, Bernier asserted it’s not the CBC’s responsibility “to please everyone” and said he would reform the federal Broadcasting Act to “clarify and refocus” CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate.

Bernier argued the CBC should focus on producing content the private sector doesn’t already offer and chided the broadcaster for airing game shows, cooking shows and sports — and for running “bad Canadian copies” of popular American shows. Bernier also insisted Canada doesn’t need a public broadcaster that offers music streaming and opinion journalism.

“(CBC) tries to occupy every niche, even though it doesn’t have and will never have the means to do so, with the result being lower-quality programming,” he said. “CBC Radio-Canada should stop doing three quarters of what it still does, which any private broadcaster can do, and concentrate on what only it can do.”

Bernier said he was “not happy” when the CBC cut regional stations and regional coverage, and said he would like to see the CBC offer “more quality public affairs programs” outside of the big bureaus in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

“That’s their role and their mandate and they must do that,” he said.

The Quebec member of Parliament’s proposal offers a different vision for Canada’s public broadcaster compared to what many other Conservative MPs have called for over the years: the privatization of the CBC.

More recently, Conservative leadership rival Brad Trost introduced a private member’s bill on September 29 that, if passed, would legislate the privatization of the public broadcaster. Just two hours after Bernier’s announcement, Trost sent out a fundraising email criticizing Bernier’s proposal to model the CBC after public broadcasters in the U.S.

“An elitist, left-wing ‘public’ broadcast network that receives hundreds of millions of dollars a year in taxpayer subsidies? After a face lift and a new set of clothes, sounds a lot like the same old CBC to me,” Trost wrote. “Call it ‘CBC-lite.'”

Trost argued that rank-and-file members of the Conservative party want the federal government to “get out of the media business altogether” — which he says his private member’s bill will accomplish.

Bernier told reporters Tuesday that he agrees the broadcaster’s operations should come at less of a cost to taxpayers, but said he doesn’t believe privatization is the right path.

“I do believe there is still a role in our media landscape for a public radio and television network,” he said. “But it has to be something other than what the private sector already offers.”

When asked by a reporter what he thought of CBC President Hubert Lacroix’s recent open letter — in which he shot back at claims that CBC should rein in its digital presence and argued that Canadians “expect” the CBC to be in the digital world — Bernier said he doesn’t agree with Lacroix.

“I believe in reform,” he said.

Bernier is one of 12 candidates vying to replace Stephen Harper as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada — and one of the most active contenders in announcing policy proposals.

( bernier has a point , does anyone else remember when during the last federal election the CBC aired re runs of coronation street one night instead of one of the federal election debates ? there priorities make no sense )

CBC should focus on public affairs, not cooking, sports, game shows: Bernier

By: Staff The Canadian Press Published on Wed Nov 23 2016

OTTAWA — Conservative leadership hopeful Maxime Bernier wants the CBC to refocus its mandate with fewer cooking shows, sporting events and Canadian knockoffs of popular U.S. programs.

The Quebec MP says the Crown corporation should stick to its mandate by upgrading public affairs programming, and not just from Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa.

Bernier says the CBC should stop doing three-quarters of what it currently does — which private broadcasters already do — and concentrate on those areas that it's best suited to handle.

Bernier also suggests modifying the Broadcasting Act to get the CBC out of running advertising, moving towards the U.S. funding models of PBS or NPR, which are partly financed by public donations and foundations.

A Bernier-run Conservative government would cancel the $150 million annual boost to CBC funding introduced by the governing Liberals, bringing public financing for the network to around $1 billion.

Just before Bernier's announcement, fellow Tory leadership rival Brad Trost used Twitter to call for the broadcaster to be privatized.

I agree that CBC's mandate should be looked at and that they are doing certain things that they don't need to be.

However, I think people - Brad Trust is now one of them - who propose that CBC should be privatized do not realize it's importance in certain regions of the country. In Newfoundland and Labrador the CBC is the only media that has a strong online, radio and TV presence. While NTV - the only other TV news - has better ratings for the 6:00 news, they lack the province-wide coverage of CBC. They do not have reporters in certain regions of the province, I don't even know if they have someone in Labrador. If there's a major news event they'll send someone to a region but they lack a regular local presence in a number of areas. NTV does not have a radio presence and the only online presence is basically videos of stories that were on the news.

CBC has a strong online presence, and are really the only media that has one here. They've brought to light a number of important stories through their investigative reporting and it's unlikely if some of those stories would have been reported if not for them.

I don't listen to their radio programming. VOCM does well with respect to radio coverage in the province. They also do online but not to the extent of CBC.

There are of course newspapers right across the province but even they've seen cut backs in recent years with some locations losing their local papers.

While it's fine to think that other outlets could prosper and provide the same coverage if it wasn't for a public broadcaster, I don't think it's the case. As I said above, NTV has better ratings for their nightly news, yet their local news coverage isn't as strong.

A small province like NL needs the CBC and I think that goes for other smaller provinces and regions in Canada. Would Toronto be disadvantaged by CBC being privatized? Highly doubt it. It's a big enough market that private companies can provide sufficient coverage. I don't think it's the case in smaller areas.

I might not necessarily like the idea of a public broadcaster but I see it's importance.

( this is why I'm really starting to dislike the Leitch campaign , Bernier came out with an interesting and reasonable announcement and she comes out with something entirely crazy , as much as I dislike the CBC , I don't envision a realistic scenario where its scrapped entirely anytime soon )

( I don't know if Leitch is taking a page from trump or if her campaign has gone off the deep end ? this is one of the more bizarre leadership campaign announcements I have seen , I don't even know if the people at the Rebel like Brian Lilley one of the CBC's biggest critics is calling for an entire dismantling of the broadcaster ? )

Leitch vows to scrap 'bloated' CBC

Janice Dickson

Thursday, November 24th, 2016

Conservative candidate Kellie Leitch is vowing to dismantle the CBC if she becomes prime minister.

“A central policy priority for Leitch’s leadership campaign is to institute a cap on government spending. Every government department will have to do its part, including the CBC,” states a release from Leitch’s campaign team.

Leitch wrote that “the playing field is not level for Canadian media,” and in order for democracy to thrive, “we need to hear from the different voices in the press.”

Leitch said that as long as the CBC continues to “distort the market by consuming advertising revenues and having its operations underwritten by the taxpayer, the market is uncompetitive.”

“The CBC doesn’t need to be reformed. It needs to be dismantled. The measure of a conservative is in their efforts to, as the great British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher described it, ‘roll back the frontiers of the state.’

“Maxime’s plan doesn’t do that. Mine does.”

Leitch’s release says taxpayers “should not have to subsidize the CBC to keep it afloat.

“Private media outlets like the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail and Le Journal du Montreal are struggling, and we must level the playing field. The days of a bloated, taxpayers-subsidized CBC are numbered.”

Leitch’s release says that she would retain the part of the CBC that provides “emergency services” to remote and rural parts of Canada. It doesn’t explain the phrase “emergency services.”

I agree that CBC's mandate should be looked at and that they are doing certain things that they don't need to be.

However, I think people - Brad Trust is now one of them - who propose that CBC should be privatized do not realize it's importance in certain regions of the country. In Newfoundland and Labrador the CBC is the only media that has a strong online, radio and TV presence. While NTV - the only other TV news - has better ratings for the 6:00 news, they lack the province-wide coverage of CBC. They do not have reporters in certain regions of the province, I don't even know if they have someone in Labrador. If there's a major news event they'll send someone to a region but they lack a regular local presence in a number of areas. NTV does not have a radio presence and the only online presence is basically videos of stories that were on the news.

CBC has a strong online presence, and are really the only media that has one here. They've brought to light a number of important stories through their investigative reporting and it's unlikely if some of those stories would have been reported if not for them.

I don't listen to their radio programming. VOCM does well with respect to radio coverage in the province. They also do online but not to the extent of CBC.

There are of course newspapers right across the province but even they've seen cut backs in recent years with some locations losing their local papers.

While it's fine to think that other outlets could prosper and provide the same coverage if it wasn't for a public broadcaster, I don't think it's the case. As I said above, NTV has better ratings for their nightly news, yet their local news coverage isn't as strong.

A small province like NL needs the CBC and I think that goes for other smaller provinces and regions in Canada. Would Toronto be disadvantaged by CBC being privatized? Highly doubt it. It's a big enough market that private companies can provide sufficient coverage. I don't think it's the case in smaller areas.

I might not necessarily like the idea of a public broadcaster but I see it's importance.

I could see how the CBC would be viewed differently in a place like Eastern Canada

think in Ontario its seen much differently , there is a lot of media here and most of the outlets are struggling and cutting staff or cutting programs , a lot of the newspapers are also suffering , it was also released today the National post is gradually moving to a digital only edition

but the CBC Is not suffering at all and actually hiring new staff and loaded with new money , that is what has a lot of the media here upset and angry , they don't understand why there going into new markets that aren't part of there mandate like online /internet and why there getting so much of our tax dollars to do so

its just not fair for the CBC to be getting all this money and to be doing so well , when at the same time just about every other media outlet is cutting back and doing worse than in years past

I haven't had time to look thru all the different proposals that each candidate has put forward on the CBC , bernier's seems to have some merit , I'm not aware what the others are proposing , Leitch's idea is purely crazy and would never pass a vote in the house or senate

I never really touched on the newspaper industry because I think it's a bit different. Their struggles seems to be that people aren't interested in buying newspapers. Would not subsidizing CBC help that?

While I see the issue with subsidizing CBC while other outlets struggle I'm not sure how to get around it and still have viable news coverage.

“The days of a bloated, taxpayer-subsidized CBC are numbered,” said the Ontario MP. “So long as the CBC continues to distort the market by consuming advertising revenues and having its operations underwritten by the taxpayer, the market is uncompetitive.”

It is a proposal that speaks to Canadian frustration with a public broadcaster that in recent years has been rocked by scandal, allegations of political bias, a lack of transparency and accountability, declining audience and, arguably, a self-serving mandate.

A 2015 Senate report on the future of the Crown Corporation, which receives $1 billion of taxpayer funding, concluded the CBC needs to change.

We agree.

The CBC has played an important role in the history and development of Canada’s identity. It could continue to provide a focus for our shared national consciousness and identity.

But as an honest observer, not as advocate or cheerleader for causes and perspectives it agrees with, and not a taxpayer-funded media organization that duplicates and competes with private-sector voices on television, and increasingly, online.

The CBC should “complement” the private sector, the Senate committee suggested, and offered a road map that would focus the CBC on airing “high quality programming, featuring Canadian achievements, participation and excellence in cinematography, drama, arts and sports.”

Instead, then as now, the broadcaster’s role remains unclear, prompting debate over its future.

Maxime Bernier, Leitch’s fellow leadership candidate, has proposed scaling back the CBC’s mandate to get it out of game shows, cooking programs and programming already offered by private media.

Bernier wants to revise the Broadcasting Act to get them out of selling ads and instead move toward a PBS model financed by sponsorships and viewer contributions, with the goal of decreasing the Corporation’s billion dollar subsidy.

While the plans of both leadership hopeful’s differ in several ways, the common thread is that both former cabinet ministers believe the CBC needs serious reform.

The Liberals should pay attention, but likely won’t. The extra $150 million they gave to the state broadcaster was viewed by many as reward for favourable coverage.

Instead of cozying up to the CBC further, the government should take a hard look at reform

While some Conservative leadership candidates have been appealing to the traditionally anti-CBC Tory base by proposing to abolish the national broadcaster or make serious reforms to it, Michael Chong is digging in as the moderate voice in the race by calling the issue a “distraction.”

Last week, after Maxime Bernier proposed kicking the CBC out of the advertising market, Kellie Leitch and Brad Trost tried to out-do each other by proposing to either axe (in Leitch’s case) or de-fund (in Trost’s case) the CBC.

Chong told iPolitics late Friday that “this issue is another distraction from what we need to be focused on in this campaign and in 2019.”

Chong said the priority for Canadians is “jobs and the economy” and that’s where his attention is focused.

“For example, lowering income taxes to spur economic growth and job creation, and privatizing CMHC to make housing more affordable for Canadian families and credit more available for small and medium-sized businesses,” he wrote.

Chong said the CBC does need a mandate review, however. “With technology rapidly transforming the media landscape in Canada, CBC’s mandate has become outdated and needs to be refreshed,” he told iPolitics.

“The CBC plays a necessary role in providing news and information to Canadians, especially to rural and remote communities across our vast geography. For many rural and remote communities, there are few, if any, other information sources.

“For instance, anglophone communities in rural Quebec rely on CBC as one of the few sources of news and information, just as francophone communities outside Quebec rely on Radio-Canada. In this sense, the CBC plays a vital role in the unity of our country.”

Bernier is proposing to restructure the CBC’s funding model to mirror that of PBS and NPR in the United States. That would force the broadcaster to rely on sponsorships from corporations and foundations, as well as donations from viewers and listeners.

Under his leadership, the CBC would be prohibited from running ads on all its platforms — radio, television and web — and this, he said, would level the playing field between the CBC and private media outlets.

Leitch would scrap most of CBC, but said she would keep the part of the CBC that provides “emergency services” to remote and rural parts of Canada. Trost wants to privatize the CBC.

I agree with Prog on this one. The CBC has a sweet spot on radio. They have the same biases, I am sure, but there is a higher degree of professionalism on the radio. A few of them interview like real journalists, at least some of the time. The easiest test for bias is their coverage of anything that can be remotely considered a "woman's issue". (I am still waiting for some mea culpas about their Ghomeshi coverage.)

But their TV sucks, with a few exceptions. Not only that, it is getting worse. Even when it tries to be funny, it's preachy. Think of The Little Mosque on the Prairie, for an example. They have to protect us from our innate racism, as white people, you see. Call it relentless multiculturalism.

I spend a lot of time on alternative news sites. Some of them are Alex Jones-y, if you know what I mean, but all the things that the media are ignoring (maybe for non-sinister reasons) are out there. And there is so many threatening things out there that it astounds me that these things can be kept out of the media. For example, Putin has been stumping around for a year or more, warning of a drift towards war, and laying out the geopolitical reasons a lot more clearly and transparently than Kerry would ever do. But the media, not only in North America but in Europe, largely ignored it.

I can see the need for a public broadcaster in Canada, but they have to emulate radio in the sense the CBC radio gives us something that isn't out there. Can CBC give us the kind of TV that will never be that popular, but which will be as good as TVO's evening offerings?

If they don't have enough money, they can offer the slot as a 'Talent Show' with a big prize ... and harvest the free entertainment.

( more bizarre news on the CBC , its now asking to go add free all of a sudden but at a cost of an additional $400 million per year ? Its hard to believe these people are actually asking for more money but then its the CBC )

CBC/Radio Canada asks for $400M in increased government funding to go ad-free

The additional money CBC is asking for would be 'replacement funding' if the news organization eliminates advertising.

CBC/Radio Canada has submitted a position paper to the federal government proposing the public broadcaster move to an ad-free model, similar to the one used to pay for the BBC in the United Kingdom, at a cost of about $400 million in additional funding.

"We are at a critical juncture in our evolution, continuing to operate under a business model and cultural policy framework that is profoundly broken," said the CBC's document, released on Monday afternoon. "At the same time, other nations are moving their cultural agendas forward successfully — and reaping the benefits of strong, stable, well-funded public broadcasters."

The additional money CBC is asking for would be "replacement funding" if the news organization eliminates advertising: $253 million to replace ad revenue, plus $105 million to "produce and procure additional Canadian content" to fill the programming gaps in the absence of ads and $40 million to reflect savings in money that would otherwise be spent on selling ads.

That would equal an investment of $46 per Canadian every year — up from the current $34 per Canadian CBC currently receives.

Two-thirds of the ad revenue given up by the CBC, the proposal argues, "would migrate to other Canadian media, including private TV and digital, for a net gain to them of $158M."

In addition, it says, "the economic upside of moving to an ad-free model would be a net total GDP gain of $488M, a total labour income impact of $355M and the creation of 7,200 new jobs."

Ad revenue criticism

The proposal, titled A Creative Canada: Strengthening Canadian Culture in a Digital World, comes in the midst of calls from some private media outlets for the public broadcaster to stop selling digital ads on the CBC.ca website.

Critics have said that the CBC is taking ad revenue away from private media that are struggling financially.

But CBC/Radio Canada president Hubert Lacroix rejected that argument in a Nov. 21 letter to the parliamentary standing committee on Canadian heritage, saying that its digital advertising revenue only amounts to $25 million, "just 10 per cent" of its total ad sales of $253 million.

"It is difficult to believe, as some media have suggested, that if only CBC/Radio-Canada was prevented from earning $25 million, their problems would be solved," Lacroix wrote.

CBC also came under fire last week from two federal Conservative leadership candidates. Kellie Leitch said the CBC "needs to be dismantled," while rival Maxime Bernier said the public broadcaster's mandate should be reformed and its funding cut. Bernier also said it should not be allowed to sell private advertising.
■

The Liberal government has already restored $150 million per year in CBC funding previously cut by Stephen Harper's Conservatives.

However, the CBC/Radio Canada document said that wasn't enough, claiming an inflation rate of 1.5 per cent per year would erode that investment and eliminate its benefit in six years.

The proposal suggests using a U.K. investment in the cultural industry called "Creative Britain," which includes the BBC, as "an inspiration" for the new funding model.

I agree with Prog on this one. The CBC has a sweet spot on radio. They have the same biases, I am sure, but there is a higher degree of professionalism on the radio. A few of them interview like real journalists, at least some of the time. The easiest test for bias is their coverage of anything that can be remotely considered a "woman's issue". (I am still waiting for some mea culpas about their Ghomeshi coverage.)

But their TV sucks, with a few exceptions. Not only that, it is getting worse. Even when it tries to be funny, it's preachy. Think of The Little Mosque on the Prairie, for an example. They have to protect us from our innate racism, as white people, you see. Call it relentless multiculturalism.

I spend a lot of time on alternative news sites. Some of them are Alex Jones-y, if you know what I mean, but all the things that the media are ignoring (maybe for non-sinister reasons) are out there. And there is so many threatening things out there that it astounds me that these things can be kept out of the media. For example, Putin has been stumping around for a year or more, warning of a drift towards war, and laying out the geopolitical reasons a lot more clearly and transparently than Kerry would ever do. But the media, not only in North America but in Europe, largely ignored it.

I can see the need for a public broadcaster in Canada, but they have to emulate radio in the sense the CBC radio gives us something that isn't out there. Can CBC give us the kind of TV that will never be that popular, but which will be as good as TVO's evening offerings?

If they don't have enough money, they can offer the slot as a 'Talent Show' with a big prize ... and harvest the free entertainment.

But if it's more of the same, let it crash and burn.

I think they need to put a stronger focus on local news and then cultural type shows. When they made cuts a few years ago CBC in NL lost it's early edition news that came on before the 6:00 news (it was a useless news all the same) and the late night news turned into an Atlantic news. We also lost a weekly political program, which had been on TV and radio.

At the same time the CBC is bidding for Olympics coverage against CTV?

The only issue that could arise from stopping the CBC from completing too much with private broadcasters is that it made need more public funds to operate, if not scaled back much much further. Would subsidizing the CBC further be a good investment if it meant private companies doing better?

( it seems to me this proposal is just an attempt by the CBC to get a head start in the debate about its future , there putting forward a plan they know isn't going to find a lot of support or please the people who don't like the cbc , but at least if down the road if anyone asks questions they can say well we suggested going ad free but the idea was rejected )

CBC wants to move to ad-free model, asks for $318M in new annual funding

OTTAWA — CBC/Radio-Canada wants all its services to broadcast ad-free — but will need $318 million in new annual funding to do so.

The proposal is one of several the CBC made Monday in a submission to Canadian Heritage’s public consultation on homegrown content in a digital world.

The CBC says removing ads would allow the public broadcaster to focus on the cultural impact of its mandate and strengthen Canada’s creative economy.

In order to go ad-free, CBC/Radio-Canada would need the federal government to boost its per-person funding to $46 — an increase of $12 per Canadian.

It notes the amount is “still well below comparable public broadcasters around the world, like the BBC, which receives $114 per person.”

The public broadcaster says the move would also “free up advertising revenue to help private media companies transition to a digital environment.”

“The business model and cultural policy framework in which CBC/Radio-Canada operates and carries out its public mandate is profoundly and irrevocably broken,” reads the proposal.

“Advertising revenues for conventional television are down as audiences become more fragmented, ad-free content becomes more available, and alternate content providers such as YouTube, Netflix, Amazon and, Apple TV/iTunes continue to make inroads.”

The proposal states the new funding model would “allow (CBC/Radio-Canada) to put even more emphasis on our public service mandate, provide a more distinct and engaging offering for Canadians, and become a stronger and more valued partner to communities, individual artists and creators, universities, culture organizations, and the sector’s commercial players.”

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